City to host talk from walkability expert

Renowned new urbanist Jeff Speck is coming to Sarasota to conduct a discussion on methods for making cities more walkable.

Speck, the author of the books Walkable City and Walkable City Rules, will give a lecture at City Hall at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10. The event will be free of charge.

According to a post on the city’s Twitter page, the lecture will cover “what we can do as a community to create a more walkable and pedestrian-friendly downtown.”

The event comes as residents have pushed for changes designed to make downtown more walkable, including wider sidewalks and the planting of more street trees. It also comes as the city prepares to consider adoption of a proposed form-based zoning code, written by new urbanist planner Karin Murphy.

The event’s sponsors include the city of Sarasota, the Downtown Improvement District, the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association, the Rosemary District Association and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.